United States or Marshall Islands ? Vote for the TOP Country of the Week !
His design was to surprise a wounded and helpless thief in his sleep and to force him then and there to give up the stolen money, before he had time to call for help. But the miscreant was evidently on the watch, Briot still lingered on the top of the stairs, there were other people sleeping in the house, and St.
Her husband, Louis Briot, works alone in the cave, and has twelve men and a donkey to carry the ice he quarries to the village of Chaux, a mile from the glacière, where it is loaded for conveyance to Besançon.
"Well now, père Briot," said Maurice cheerily, "as I take it you are the proprietor of this abode of bliss, what about supper?" "Bread and cheese if you like," muttered the man curtly. "And a bottle of wine, of course." "Yes. A bottle of wine." "Well! be quick about it, petit père. I didn't know how hungry I was till you talked of bread and cheese."
Mechanically, St. Genis had once more taken up his knife and fork, though of a truth the last of his hunger had vanished. But these Dauphiné peasants were suspicious and queer-tempered, and already the young man's surprise had matured into a plan which he would not be able to carry through without the help of Aristide Briot. Noisy cavaliers he mused to himself a wounded man! .
Briot, however, did not exhibit any violent interest in his guest's story, and when the latter had finished speaking he merely said, pointing to the remnants of food upon the table: "I thought you said that you were hungry."
Then Sagan, with a scowling face, offered the Duke the customary cup of wine, and, comparative silence being restored, the ducal answer came peevishly to all ears: 'No, my good Simon, your wine is like yourself, rather too strong and a trifle rough for my taste. Let Briot be called. I have brought my own drinking.
Soon the whole outline of the house could be traced through the enveloping darkness: two of the windows were lighted from within, and an oil lamp, flickering feebly, was fixed in a recess just above the door. The welcome words: "Chambres pour voyageurs. Aristide Briot, propriétaire," greeted Maurice's wearied eyes as he drew rein.
He dropped it in his astonishment. "Mr. Clyffurde!" he exclaimed. At sight of St. Genis the Englishman, whose right arm was in a sling, had made a quick instinctive movement back into the room, but equally quickly Maurice had forestalled him by placing his foot across the threshold. Then he turned back to Aristide Briot.
"Come, petit père, I insist," he added more peremptorily, seeing that Briot with the hesitancy peculiar to his kind still made no movement to obey, but stood close by scratching his scanty locks and looking puzzled and anxious.
And Aristide Briot, with a shrug of the shoulders which implied that he there and then put away from him any responsibility for what might or might not occur after this, and without further comment, led the way upstairs. On the upper landing at the top of the stairs Briot paused. He pointed to a door at the end of the narrow corridor, and said curtly: "That's his room."
Word Of The Day